Biography

A man with glasses and a beard is smiling and sitting on an orange upholstered antique bench with wooden arms and legs. He is dressed in a black suit and is holding a white pointer stick in his right hand. There is a painting behind him on the wall.

David Scott is a Boston-based conductor, educator and multi-instrumentalist focused on creating immersive musical experiences that connect deeply with listeners through the standard and forgotten repertoire of western classical music. 

On the symphonic stage, Scott has stepped into roles as a guest, cover, and assistant conductor, in both the collegiate and professional world. In 2015 Scott was announced as the assistant conductor of the Orange County Youth Symphony, and during his 3 year tenure, led the orchestra in subscription and youth concerts. Simultaneously, Scott was appointed as Assistant Conductor for the Chapman Orchestra, complementing his studies as an undergraduate student. In 2016, Scott served as assistant conductor on the production of Die Fledermaus at the Orange County School of the Arts, and was subsequently invited back the next year as guest conductor for their production of L’enfant et les sortilèges. In 2018, Scott continued his education at California State University, Long Beach, and was invited to be the conducting fellow for the Long Beach Symphony. Scott led performances for the Long Beach Symphony in both subscription and youth concerts. Recently, Scott was the conductor for the Boston University Opera Institute’s production of The Eleanors, which was its first fully staged production. 

In the educational world, Scott was the Interim Professor of Conducting at Chapman University from 2021 to 2023, where he led rehearsals and performances of the Chapman Orchestra and taught undergraduate conducting students. During his tenure, he significantly expanded the conducting studio and implemented a comprehensive training curriculum, providing students with podium time in front of university ensembles and observation opportunities with both Pacific Symphony and the Los Angeles Philharmonic. Scott has also been a conductor for visiting orchestra festivals during his interim professorship, and invited to be guest conductor at numerous high schools, including University High School, Villa Park High School, and Mt. Whitney High School.

As an instrumentalist, Scott has been a clarinetist, saxophonist and flautist in many ensembles throughout his career, including a decade-long tenure in Top Hat 8 Repertory’s pit orchestra from 2014 to 2024. He has arranged, produced, and conducted productions of musicals and operettas while remaining an active member of the Top Hat 8 orchestra. 

Scott holds a Master of Music in Instrumental Conducting from the Bob Cole Conservatory of Music at California State University, Long Beach, where he studied with Johannes Müller Stosch, and earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Conducting Performance from Chapman University. Scott is currently in his second year of the Doctor of Musical Arts Program in Orchestral Conducting at Boston University, where he studies with Sarah Ioannides. Additionally, Scott has studied with numerous mentors in festivals and workshops, including Neil Varon, Kenneth Kiesler, Mark Gibson, Guido Rumstadt, John Koshak, and Neil Thompson.